Livestock Assistant Opportunity

Green Meadows Farm in South Hamilton, MA is accepting applications for a
Livestock Assistant for the 2016 season. We raise certified organic vegetables
and small fruit and non-certified laying hens, pigs, and sheep on our
diversified farm on the North Shore of Massachusetts. Our farm supplies food
for a 400-member CSA, a retail farm stand, and a few wholesale accounts. We
strongly believe in the proper welfare for our animals while they are in our
care. We feed our animals organic grain, pasture grasses, and culled
vegetables from our fields. We also believe that by getting to know and love
our animals, we can better understand their needs and health.

Job Description and Responsibilities
The Livestock Assistant is a part-time position where the employee will be in
charge of the basic care of all our animals on the farm. We grow approximately
40 hogs, 20 sheep, 250 laying hens and hopefully some goats each season. All
our animals are grown for meat or eggs and almost all of them are raised and
processed by the end of the season. The Livestock Assistant will be feeding,
watering, monitoring animal health, fencing, moving portable housing, and
finally transporting to slaughter. He or she will be in charge of the morning
feeding and watering, collecting and washing of eggs, moving sheep every week,
laying hens every two weeks and hogs every month or so. The Livestock
Assistant will also drive and operate a tractor in order to move animal
housing and mow pasture as needed.

Qualifications
We are willing to train the right person, but the Livestock Assistant must
love animals and have some experience in their care. As this is a position
where the livelihood of living beings is in your care, you must be an
extremely responsible person who loves getting up early in the morning, enjoys
working outside in all kinds of weather and can commit to an entire season.
We meet every morning and require that all employees arrive on time and ready
to work. You must have a valid driver’s license and a great driving record.
The ability to lift a minimum of 50 lbs repeatedly throughout the day is
essential. Applicants should be excellent problem solvers, independent and
like working on their own while also having excellent communication skills
with the management on the farm. Previous experience with livestock, tractors
or farm work is a big plus. We are also open to growing other livestock on the
farm if the applicant is interested.

Schedule
The schedule for this position is from 7 am until about 12 pm, 5 days a week.
Availability on the weekends is a plus. The position begins in mid-April and
continues through October, when the animals go to slaughter. There is a
possibility to combine this position with a field crew position in the
afternoons.

Compensation
The Livestock Assistant will be paid an hourly wage ranging from $10-$12/hr,
based on experience. They will also get a half share of vegetables for the
season.